New points system expected for 2010

The points system for Formula 1 is set to change, as the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) seeks to give points to the top ten finishers in the race.

In a meeting of the F1 Commission, chaired by Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president JeanTodt, a new points scoring system was put forward, which was mainly influenced by the fact that there would be a 26-car grid next year.

Under this points system, first place would get 25 points, second would get 20 and third would get 15. The next 7 finishers would score 10, 8, 6, 5, 3, 2 and 1 point respectively.This amendment will be submitted by the F1 Commission to the WMSC tomorrow, and a decision will be made on the day.

The F1 Commission is made up of key championship stakeholders from F1 teams, promoters, suppliers and sponsors. Their next meeting will be on the 10th March in Bahrain, a few days before the Grand Prix.

In the same meeting, the Commission agreed to change the name of Brawn to Mercedes. Also, the Commission stated that: “The team will continue to receive payments based on its historical performance. This has been granted on a one-off exceptional basis due to Mercedes-Benz’s long-term involvement and commitment to Formula One.”

An opinion article on this will be written soon, after the decision tomorrow.